11-year-old boy dies after saving friend who fell through icy pond

(Meredith/AP) — An 11-year old boy from New York City is being remembered as a hero after he died braving a frozen pond to save his drowning friend.

The tragic situation began when Anthony Perez's 12-year-old friend ventured out onto a frozen pond in Forest Park in Queens. The thin ice collapsed, sending the boy into frigid waters.

Anthony sprinted to the edge of the pond to save his friend, but the 11-year-old then couldn't get himself out. In order to save Anthony, his friend ran to get help at his apartment. First responders were called but by the time they arrived, Anthony had been in the water for 30 minutes, according to the New York Daily News.

Firefighters broke through the ice with their hands and went chest-deep into the water to try to save him. Anthony was unconscious and unresponsive when first responders pulled him out, police said.

He was pronounced dead at a hospital. Two firefighters were treated for hypothermia.

The New York City Fire Department also posted about the tragic event on their Facebook page, warning everyone to stay off of the ice.

"I'm not surprised he risked his life," his 14-year-old friend, Noah Rodriguez, told the New York Daily News. "They were really close. They used to hang out with each other every day."